Cut, Cap, & Balance…Now!

On Wednesday, July 20, Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) called Republicans “dead-beat debtors” during a Democratic press conference regarding the House of Representatives passage of the Cut, Cap, and Balance Act by a bipartisan vote of 234-190. Harkin went on to say, “The debate and fight is not between Democrats and Republicans. It’s between some Republicans and their sort of cult fringe as I refer to them out there.” The phrase “cult fringe” is particularly interesting because he was referring to the Tea Party.

Since April 16, 2009, when the first Tea Party rallies were held, the left has been predicting the demise of the Tea Party movement. Many establishment Republicans have also wondered when the Tea Party will go away and let them return to the status quo of folding to the every Democrat whim and fancy, and doing little to cut bloated government budgets.

But the Tea Party is stronger then ever and flexing its political muscles. As lawmakers in the House of Representatives and the Senate negotiated with the President on a deal to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, Tea Party-backed congressmen demanded to cut the deficit in half, place a cap on future spending, and pass a constitutional amendment requiring Congress to pass balanced budgets.

Democrats and the liberal media mounted a strong public relations campaign to counter the Tea Party, but on Tuesday evening, the Tea Party-backed House members, including some Democrats, voted 234-190 to “cut, cap and balance the budget”.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) called the Cut, Cap, and Balance legislation “draconian” and “reckless”. Reid claims the Republicans aren’t providing a solution. However, Jim Jordan (R-OH), another Tea Party “cult follower”, responded by saying “In case Senator Reid didn’t notice, a bipartisan ‘Gang of 234’ just sent him the way forward. It’s called the Cut, Cap, and Balance Act. This is the only plan that can fundamentally solve our debt problem, and it is waiting for Senator Reid to bring up on the Senate floor for an up-or-down vote. The House made its position in the debt debate crystal clear. It’s Cut, Cap, and Balance.” The Tea Party continues to call for fiscal sanity, but the left just doesn’t want to hear it.

The Tea Party is not going away. On the contrary, Tea Parties have begun to challenge state, local, and municipal governments. Accountability from elected officials is the corner stone of the Tea Party, and fiscal responsibility is the goal. Instead of attacking “Cut, Cap & Balance”, politicians in Washington, and in state and local governments, should listen and take notice.